The best cookery courses: our top 20

Want to learn some cheffy skills? We've rounded up the top cookery courses. You'll come away from them so much the wiser about food and how to prepare it.

Thanks to MasterChef, The Great British Bake Off and all those celebrity chefs on our screens, a new generation of food lovers is on the lookout for cookery courses. And they don't just want to improve their cooking - they're after the sort of skills you'd normally only find in top restaurant kitchens; the kind of skills that might be a stepping stone to a new career in cooking. So we've rounded up the top cookery courses on one handy webpage. Scroll down and see which ones you fancy... Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxfordshire Superb, modern cookery school, next to the hotel kitchens of Raymond Blanc's two-Michelin starred institution. A place for serious cooking and techniques – you'll make stocks, break up lobsters or stuff small birds. Fun but not cheap. Five day course £1540 (with hotel accommodation £4300), www.manoir.com

Padstow Seafood School, Cornwall Run by TV chef Rick Stein in the Cornish fishing village of Padstow, students learn every aspect of fish cooking – cutting, filleting, sauces etc. Great for home cooks as well as aspiring chefs. Four day course £780 (with accommodation £1690), www.rickstein.com

The Orchard School, Worcestershire Fancy a job as a chalet cook? This school specialises in giving young people skills to prepare top quality menus for happy ski-ers. Five-day courses £795-£995, two-week courses £1590-£1990, www.orchardscookery.co.uk

Cookery School at Little Portland Street, London W1 Small central school for 'foodies' and professionals. A series of three-day courses teach skills from cooking an apple crumble to advanced knife skills. A six-week course is aimed at anyone going into small scale catering on a professional basis. Three-day courses £500, six-week cook's certificate £5,900, www.cookeryschool.co.uk

The Culinary Cottage, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire Ideal for anyone wanting to be a domestic goddess (or god), the courses deal with basics such as preparing a menu and go onto advanced skills such as making soufflés or boning poussins. Three-day courses £360, 5 days £600, www.theculinarycottage.co.uk

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School A straightforward but cheffy course, teaching all the basic skills that any home cook might need. Three-day course £435, www.entcs.co.uk

Ballymaloe Cookery School, East Cork, Ireland Ireland's best known cookery school, it is attached to an organic farm. Specialises in well-sourced restaurant food. The 12-week certificate course is aimed at aspiring professionals. There are week-long courses including the popular 'A week at Ballymaloe'. Twelve-week course 11,000 Euros, one-week courses from 1,000 to 1,500 Euros. Accommodation is extra. www.ballymaloe.com

River Cottage Cookery School, Devon The school teaches traditional cooking techniques for meat, fish and veg. Lessons are aimed at food enthusiasts who are looking for more know-how. Students will also learn about baking and cuts of meat. Four-day courses, £652, www.rivercottage.net

Ashburton Chefs Academy, Devon A series of five-day courses range from basic (making an omelette or roast dinner) to advanced (butchery, dealing with game, making consomme etc). The six-week course is aimed at anyone wanting to open a restaurant. Five-day courses £875, six-week certificate £4950, www.ashburtoncookeryschool.co.uk

Cordon Vert Cookery School, Cheshire This top school teaches top quality vegetarian cookery - it's aimed at enthusiasts and professionals who want to expand their skills. Five-day course £1678, www.cordonvert.co.uk

Nick Nairn Cook School, Stirling, Scotland The celebrity chef teaches the best of home cooking. This is a residential course that will turn you from a culinary illiterate into a star of the stove. Five-day course £1690, www.nicknairncookschool.com

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Kinloch Cookery Courses, Isle of Skye A relaxing course run by foodwriter Claire Macdonald, it teaches all the basics. The course takes up three hours a day, leaving time to explore the natural beauty of the island. Three-day courses £650-£750 including bed and breakfast, www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk

Newlyns Cookery School, Hampshire Food-lovers who lack cookery confidence can learn to tackle some of the trickier kitchen jobs on this course, and should emerge able to host a dinner party. Five-day course £499, www.newlyns-farmshop.co.uk

The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School, Bath Run by cook and baker Richard Bertinet, this deals with everything from techniques for cake decoration to making chocolate confectionary. Four-Day Baking Pastry and Patisserie course, £750, www.bertinetkitchen.com

Squires Kitchen International School If you love chocolate this is ideal. Students are taught to mould, temper and colour chocolate, producing confectionary, desserts, caramels and cakes. The school also runs a five-day sugarcraft course. Five-day chocolate school, £675, www.squires-school.co.uk

Llanerch Vineyard, Vale of Glamorgan TV chef Angela Gray runs six-day courses in the beautiful countryside on the outskirts of Cardiff. Students can stay for the entire course or simply the days which most interest them. £165 per day, £850 for six days, llanerch-vineyard.co.uk